European Championships: Mary-Ambre Moluh, Marrit Steenbergen Set Records in Mixed Medley Relay
While the final of the mixed 400-meter medley relay delighted the home crowd at the European Championships, with France winning in Paris, there were a pair of individual records set in the race. After Mary-Ambre Moluh led off for France with a European record in the 100 backstroke, the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen recorded the fastest 100 freestyle in history by a woman.
A standout at Cal-Berkeley, where her training is obviously clicking, Moluh went 57.99 on the leadoff backstroke leg to break the European record of 58.08, set in 2021 by Great Britain’s Kathleen Dawson. Moluh was easily overlooked in the race, as she entered the water as just one of two women on the backstroke leg. Despite the turbulence in the water, she battled to the wall to become the first sub-58 European in the event. More, her jumpstart played a huge role in France capturing gold in 3:39.64.
As for Steenbergen, the world-record holder in the 100 freestyle was the Dutch choice to anchor the mixed medley relay and she came through in style. Coming off a win in the 100 free earlier in the session, Steenbergen split 50.87 for her freestyle, an effort that rallied the Netherlands from sixth place to the silver-medal position. The Dutch touched in 3:40.92, and Steenbergen’s time bettered the former fastest split in the 100 freestyle, a 50.93 by Australian Cate Campbell at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.
